Bones of contention: Cities fight over Richard III

Philippa Langley, originator of the 'Looking for Richard III' project, looks at the facial reconstruction of Richard III, unveiled to the media at the Society of Antiquaries, London, Tuesday Feb. 5, 2013. He was king of England, but for centuries he lay without shroud or coffin in an unknown grave, and his name became a byword for villainy. On Monday, scientists announced they had rescued the remains of Richard III from anonymity — and the monarch's fans hope a revival of his reputation will soon follow. (AP Photo/PA, Gareth Fuller) UNITED KINGDOM OUT NO SALES NO ARCHIVE
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Philippa Langley, originator of the 'Looking for Richard III' project, looks at the facial reconstruction of Richard III, unveiled to the media at the Society of Antiquaries, London, Tuesday Feb. 5, 2013. He was king of England, but for centuries he lay without shroud or coffin in an unknown grave, and his name became a byword for villainy. On Monday, scientists announced they had rescued the remains of Richard III from anonymity — and the monarch's fans hope a revival of his reputation will soon follow. (AP Photo/PA, Gareth Fuller) UNITED KINGDOM OUT NO SALES NO ARCHIVE
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LONDON 
The discovery of King Richard III under a parking lot in the English city of Leicester thrilled history buffs around the world. But the news meant a winter of discontent for the rival city of York, and now the two are doing battle over the royal bones.

Officials in Leicester say the monarch, who was unceremoniously buried without a coffin 528 years ago, will be re-interred with kingly dignity in the city's cathedral.

"The decision has already been made," said Leicester mayor Peter Soulsby. "All the permissions have been granted and the various authorities involved have agreed that the interment will take place in Leicester."

Not so fast, says York, a city 100 miles (160 kilometers) to the north that claims the late monarch as its own.

"Every taxi driver I talk to, every shopkeeper I talk to, they are very excited about it - they want Richard back in York," said Michael Ormrod, professor of medieval history at the University of York. "There is a view that he is a king for York."

York City Council said Wednesday it is petitioning the government and Queen Elizabeth II, arguing that "one of the city's most famous and cherished sons" - who grew up in the region and was once known as Richard of York - should be buried in the northern city.

The two cities have launched rival petitions to the government. As of Wednesday, York had the edge, with more than 5,700 signatures on a petition calling for Richard to be re-interred there. Leicester's petition had more than 2,000 names.

Yorkists hope the queen will intervene on behalf of her 15th-century predecessor, though Buckingham Palace says it is not getting involved.

Richard had few links to Leicester, apart from dying in battle nearby in 1485. Historians agree he had strong ties to York.

He belonged to the House of York, one of two branches of the ruling Plantagenet dynasty. William Shakespeare's play "Richard III" opens with the lines: "Now is the winter of our discontent/ made glorious summer by this son of York" - a punning reference to Richard's brother, King Edward IV.

Richard spent much of his childhood in the county of Yorkshire. As an adult, he ran northern England during his brother's reign, and he is sometimes called the country's last northern king.

Ormrod says there is evidence Richard wanted to be buried in York Minster, the city's medieval cathedral.

York has not always made a noise about its ties to a king who for centuries was Britain's most reviled monarch. Richard was defeated at the Battle of Bosworth Field by the forces of Henry Tudor, who took the throne as King Henry VII, ending a bloody tussle over the crown known as the Wars of the Roses.

Tudor historians painted Richard as a villainous usurper and accused him of multiple crimes - most famously, the murder of his two nephews, the "Princes in the Tower."

Richard's supporters hope the discovery of the king's remains will lead to a reappraisal of his reputation.